Been Practicing My Dance Moves for the Wedding.

This star was born to shine.

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Palm Springs: The Bachelorette Party

This past weekend was my bachelorette party!

We laid low in the desert and mostly vegged out by the pool.

And I'm sure you'll all be surprised to hear me say, I LOVED IT AND WANT TO DO IT EVERY WEEKEND.

Five of us girls piled into a minivan (hells yeah.) and road tripped it to Palm Springs.

Obviously we packed light.

Little known fact: Palm Springs is in the desert.

We stayed at The Palm Springs Riviera and I can honestly say that it was the perfect hotel for our trip. The decor was a little bit of 1960's modern, with a touch of modern day glamour, and a ton of Liberace gaudiness. Our hotel seemed like the happening spot to be, as we saw lots of guests who looked like they were there to party.

Hotel lobby

Our rooms

Paaaaarty time. Exxxxcellent.

4:00 pm on a Friday, hanging out at the "family" pool

The pool bars at the hotel had an impressive selection of cocktails. Seriously, they were GREAT. I probably tasted about 5-6 different drinks and they were all light and fruity and tasted nothing like alcohol. Just the way I like to get tanked.

This was the Linda Lee

I miss this already...

Friday night, we had dinner at Trio- "...where Palm Springs eats and drinks." 

I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. From the decor (1960's pop culture with some Andy Warhol-esque flair), to the service (our server was Daniel and he did a fabulous job at accommodating our large group, taking photos for us, and interacting with us like we were long lost friends), to the food (not one complaint in the bunch). If you're in Palm Springs, don't even bother with any of those other flash-in-the-pan restaurants. TRUST ME.

This was either the Palm Springs Punch or the Wil Stiles

We've watched enough of RuPaul's Drag Race to know how to work a room

Good

Better

After dinner, we ended up at some low-budge bar/club/alternate universe called Zelda's. It was located in a strip mall and I remember someone in the van saying "Just drive over his barf and park the car" while we were pulling into the parking lot. 

Our arrival couldn't have been planned any more perfectly because as we walked in, they were starting "The Men of the Hollywood Strip" show. It was a super cheezy show and involved songs like Will Smith's Men in Black. The dancers weren't really my cup of creatine, but I gotta hand it to them, they have a full-on workout with those routines. Also, the women in that place were getting all kinds of X-rated, you'd think they just got released from a life sentence in solitary confinement. Filthy animals.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel... (I love these chairs)

Saturday morning, we all met up at the hotel restaurant. Breakfast buffet - French toast, scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, a yogurt parfait station, and coffee/ OJ - for only $15.

Bacon

Watching footage of the "stripper"

Just about all of Saturday's day time hours were spent poolside with cocktails

MmMmMmMmmm...

For dinner, we went to Kaiser Grille. They have good outdoor seating, with overhead misters, that can accommodate larger groups. The drink menu was solid with a wide variety of cocktails to choose from. The downside: my food was cold and pretty lackluster, and there's an awful sulfur smell that hovers over the entire patio area.

 Good

Better

After dinner, we walked around the downtown area. There was a hat shop that we spent way too much time in and bought absolutely nothing. 

"What did you do for your bachelorette party???"

"We tried on hats."

Sunday morning was check-out (sad...) and we all went out for one last group meal: Breakfast at Lulu's. 

The decor inside of Lulu's was very cool and relaxing- lots of white and plexiglass. The place was fairly packed with patrons, so we saw that as a good sign of things to come. Unfortunately, my food was less than impressive and I don't think I would recommend this place. I got the 3-course Sunday brunch: mixed greens salad, cobb scramble, and strawberry crepe. Everything in my meal was bland and it seemed like they focused more on the presentation, than the flavor or quality. Maybe we just went on a bad day...

And that's pretty much where our vacation ended. 

I had a great time with my friends and I'm glad that each one of them was able to make it. 

Also...

Palm Springs, I'll miss you.

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Wedding Venue: Poinsettia Pavilion

Poinsettia Pavilion is located in beautiful Ventura, California. Despite having lived so close to it, I never had much of an interest in checking this place out. Mostly because I thought it was a "typical" wedding hall venue that probably looked like every other banquet room.

It wasn't until I saw it person that I really began to appreciate all that this venue had to offer. Which came in the form of a lobby right out of Mad Men.

And by that, I mean I'm pretty sure all of the decor is original to this 1954 building.

So if you love kitschy, vintage styles from that era, like I do, this place will be right up your alley.


Disclaimer: I didn't take the best photos. In fact, looking back, I'm wondering why the hell didn't I get a shot of the exterior of the building. Your guess is as good as mine.

Brady-Bunch-esque mod poles flank both of the front doors

Lobby

The Pavilion offers two reception halls to choose from (actually, there are three, but the third one seems more like a meeting room). The Santa Paula Room accommodates up to 70 people, and the Ventura Room accommodates up to 250.

Entrance to the Ventura Room (kitchen is on the far side)

-Parquet flooring throughout

-PA system

-Wireless internet

-Piano available

-Plenty of private parking

-Event must end at midnight

All dining arrangements must be made through Scofield Catering.

Worth Noting: When I visited the pavilion earlier this year, I was told that they were in the process of updating all of the drapery. The curtains shown in these photos were going to be replaced with a more neutral colored set.

The Poinsettia Pavilion is situated on a hilltop and offers a pretty great view that even rivals the one at The Cross (minus the treacherous drive).

The Channel Islands

Rental fee includes the following:

-6 hours, including set up and clean up
-Setup of all tables and chairs
-Use of microphone

Additional fees include:
-Decorations offered by venue
-Linens
-Security (required if alcohol is served)
-Security deposit

Santa Paula Room (not shown): $900
Ventura Room: $1,800

For more information, contact Carol at (805) 648-1143

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